Arsenal are preparing a player/cash deal to sign Malaga defender Jesús Gámez. The Express believes the north London club chiefs have opened talks with their Spanish counterparts, over a summer move for the 28-year-old Spaniard.

The deal may involve Danish international striker Nicklas Bendtner move to La Liga, after the La Rosaleda club expressed an interest in signing the forward. The Express' report claims the two were close to a deal earlier this summer but negotiations broke off over Bendtner's wage demands.

Malaga will reportedly also be paid £1.5m as part of the exchange.

Bendtner has had a miserable couple of seasons contracted to Arsenal. The 25-year-old has not appeared for Arsene Wenger's side since 2011 and has spent that time on loan - first to Premier League club Sunderland and then to Serie A champions Juventus.

Despite his poor track record, Malaga are understood to be interested in the Dane. The Spaniards hired former Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster as replacement for Manuel Pellegrini, who joined Manchester City. And Schuster, who played for both Madrid and Barcelona during his younger days, believes Bendtner could be the answer to his starker problems.

"An agreement with Bendtner has so far been impossible. For him, he wanted to continue on a very high salary, where our focus has been more on getting him back to his top level. We still need a striker, but who it is and whether it can be done, I cannot say anything about right now," the Malaga boss explained.

Meanwhile, Gámez, if he arrives, is expected to provide cover and competition for Frenchman Bacary Sagna and youngster Carl Jenkinson. And, in the worst case, the Spaniard will probably be bumped into the first team if Sagna decides to leave.

The 30-year-old is out of contract in 2014 and has been linked with a return to France, with Paris St Germain (PSG) and Monaco interested, according to Sky Sports. However, Sagna remains confident that a new agreement will be reached.

"We are still talking [about a new contract]. I never said I wanted to leave the club, but there are some journalists who want to speculate as I have just one year to go. The fact is that I am still at Arsenal and I am looking forward to playing next season," he stressed.